Author's Notes

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Author's Notes

Postby Gaming Ikari » Sat May 09, 2009 11:36 pm

This is going to be a rant, folks.

Why don't people read them? Especially notes BEFORE the text of the story? Is this some sort of blindness? Are a few extra sentences truly so difficult to read?

I'll admit, my own authors notes are sometimes rather pointless. However, they also answer questions, address potential issues I can't conceivably deal with in-story, or contain background information which is merely supplemental to the story and isn't truly relevant.

I bring this up because I was reading the reviews for one of my stories and I saw the same question asked in four or five reviews, a question I'd answered as the FIRST SENTENCE in my author's notes for that chapter.

Grah.
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Postby Spokavriel » Sat May 09, 2009 11:56 pm

Many times the opening authors notes are all it takes to make me not bother reading the story.

There was more than one time I was opening the first chapter of a fic and even before a disclaimer there were authors notes already answering questions asked by readers right at the top of the whole thing before the story.

The main times I skip authors notes is when I see allot of answering questions or it is repetitive like this one guy repeatedly posts the entire cast of characters after each chapter.
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Postby Kadunta » Sun May 10, 2009 12:05 am

I don't claim to know what everyone else is thinking... but since I usually don't have questions, I don't expect the ANs to answer any of mine. And I usually won't bother reading another screenful of text when they ANs are just too long. If they're just two or three sentences, I think I might read them.

You know, you just made me slightly unhappy... since my and weebee's collaboration mentioned the whole collaboration thing only in ANs. But, that can't be helped then.
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Postby Gaming Ikari » Sun May 10, 2009 12:13 am

I'm mainly complaining about notes that SHOULD be paid attention to.

For example, it's come up with both Ripples of a Chaotic Pebble AND Galaxy Police Cadet Scramble, where I've posted two chapters within a day of one another. As a courtesy for people who might see that I've updated recently and not realize I've posted two chapters instead of one, I'll post a big ol' I'VE POSTED TWO CHAPTERS WITHIN X HOURS/DAYS/WHATEVER right at the top.

Even with this, I get PMs wondering why the characters have jumped from position X to Y (almost, they point out, as if a chapter is missing).

Or, and this is something I've noted commonly with crossovers, people will wonder at which point in either series the crossover takes place, despite the fact that it's explicitly stated in the Author's Notes.

Stuff like that. It bugs me because... Well, you're reading these stories of your own volition. You're reading. If you're asking the question which would have been answered by reading, why are you on the site in the first place?
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Postby mondu_the_fat » Sun May 10, 2009 4:12 am

Most professionally written novels have no authors notes, especially not at the beginning of every chapter. They might have a preface, or an afterword, which functions the same as author's notes, but these shouldn't be required reading to understand the story. Some authors use author's notes well (usually seen in stories told in the first person, breaking the fourth wall, or humorous ones), but if I _have_ to read the authors notes in order to enjoy/understand the story, I usually won't bother finishing.
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Postby Kilich » Sun May 10, 2009 5:43 am

I use author's notes for a bit of humor or for a short notice for the readers.

If I need to inform the reader about something bigger, then I'll post it in my profile with a short notice in the end of the chapter.
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Postby Ellen Kuhfeld » Sun May 10, 2009 9:23 am

I'm so used to "authors notes" being a compilation of punctuation conventions -- how to recognize Chinese, or panda signs -- that I skip right over them. Nor do I use notes myself, except for my own consumption.

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Postby Gaming Ikari » Sun May 10, 2009 11:01 am

mondu_the_fat wrote:Most professionally written novels have no authors notes, especially not at the beginning of every chapter.


As I said, my main complaint here is regarding information one might normally list in the Glossary, or notes very much relevant to the basics of the story. Like the aforementioned "check the previous chapter, it's new too" thing.

That, and for some things (like the glossary information) it makes sense to stick them at the end of a chapter when the work is being released bit by bit. I know that traditionally the glossary or appendix of a story is placed at the end of it, but that's a function of the medium in which traditional literature is delivered. If not at the end of each chapter, where WOULD one place such information when writing fanfiction and publishing online?
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Postby TerraEpon » Sun May 10, 2009 11:15 am

mondu_the_fat wrote:but if I _have_ to read the authors notes in order to enjoy/understand the story, I usually won't bother finishing.


Yeah but a fanfic has other qualifiers that fully original work doesn't, so there's certainly more room for explanation.
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Postby Spokavriel » Sun May 10, 2009 11:21 am

In a way notes are to be expected just because nearly all Fanfics are works in progress. Even the longest chapters out there aren't really whole completed and refined novels unto themselves. But are more along the lines of Manuscripts which they just published in a different way. And many Manuscripts have more notes scribbled between double spaced lines and in the margins (If type written) than ever make it to a glossary.

The problem is when looking at a manuscript some people will still only read the story.

Speaking of that new chapter and revised first one I think I'm overdue to check back ;)
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Postby Gaming Ikari » Sun May 10, 2009 12:10 pm

Exactly! These aren't professional works (even if some of the better contributors to our community SHOULD be producing such), thus holding them to the same standard is unreasonable. A professional novel typically has had the input and feedback of at least a couple professional editors, each one allowing the author to further revise their work.

Most fanfiction authors are lucky to have one person give their work a cursory read through with "It's alright" being the only feedback. Only a rare few manage to snag editors actually worthy of the title.

Spokavriel wrote:Speaking of that new chapter and revised first one I think I'm overdue to check back ;)


Not to mention the two others which have popped up since then... ;)
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Postby Cheb » Sun May 10, 2009 2:41 pm

As I assume that my readers know the original series, I use the optional comments and footnotes to explain things for those who doesn't, however the reason.
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Postby Konsaki » Sun May 10, 2009 3:27 pm

Spokavriel wrote: Many times the opening authors notes are all it takes to make me not bother reading the story.

There was more than one time I was opening the first chapter of a fic and even before a disclaimer there were authors notes already answering questions asked by readers right at the top of the whole thing before the story.
I've seen a few of that myself and it's pretty jacked up. I mean, spoiling your own story with an A/N? Come on...

It's almost as bad as declaring the pairing in the story discription... especially when you're trying to set up some suspense.
Shit, the worst one I've seen was a description that had to do with all the uncertanty of who Ranma would pick due to a potion or something. Then the author ends it with 'R/A'. I'd quote the damn thing if I had the initiative to look it up.

Anyways, about the A/N thing; I think fanfics should have them at the end of the chapter if they are going to put them in. Definatly not at the beginning unless you are trying to set up the timeline of the story in Chapter 1 to remove confusion. Even then, it needs to be vage enough not to give everything away.
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Postby Sky » Sun May 10, 2009 5:54 pm

Author's notes which say "This story follows the anime, not the manga storyline" or "This story takes the Ranma 1/2 manga story until the fight with Herb" are quite useful. They tell me how to frame the story in my mind.

Stories which lead with "This story has spoilers who hasn't read manga chapter 53" are also useful if the series is still progressing since it may stop me from reading a story.

I tend to skip most other author's notes.
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